Just a Package of Parchment
by BedHead-RedHead
Summary: Harry is given another piece of parchment by Lupin in place of the Marauder's Map. What happens when he meets a young witch in a dire situation? He'll do whatever it takes to save her from the spell she must live with. Takes place in PoA. Please R&R!


**Hi everyone! This was just a quick idea I got for a story while watching HP6 (for the second time!) Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are appreciated.**

**Disclaimer~ I own none of Harry Potter. Hopefully everybody already knew that!**

**a/n~ Any phrase '_italicized with a single quote around them' _are Harry's thoughts to himself. Any dialouge that _is only _italicized are Harry's written conversations. **

Just a Package of Parchment

Chapter 1: Ensnared in a Dilemma

Harry was breathing hard when he returned to his room that night.

_'How did Lupin know about the map? How is it that he recognized Pettigrew's name, even though he contradicted his existence a moment later? '_

Too many questions, and there were simply no ways of getting answers to them. That is, unless he went and talked to Lupin personally, but he was already worried enough as it is that their relationship was tarnished by tonight's little adventure. And how the map recognized Snape and knew to insult him – a little suspicious, but brilliant none the less. Harry felt inside his sweatshirt's kangaroo pocket to feel the parchment Lupin had handed him in place of the map.

"Take care, Harry," he said as he tossed him the packet. "Snape will want to see you with one the next time you two have a run-in with each other – just be sure it's not at night and you're not breaking any rules."

"Yes, Professor," Harry had said, feeling a little confused. "Thank you."

He had left immediately afterwards.

_'It's just a package of parchment, right?' _He had asked himself. '_Just a simple package in case Snape would search me mid-potions class and know I wasn't lying about keeping parchment on me, and that it's just a silly Zonko's toy and isn't "Full of dark magic'"like he suspects. Lupin really is smart that way.'_

He slipped the parchment from his pocket and took out his quill.

_Property of Harry James Potter_

The inky letters he wrote seeped into the paper. He didn't exactly know why he wrote it – maybe just to be sure that Snape would know it was his. Before he could fold it back up and put it on his bedside table, the ink vanished all together. Harry gasped and flung the paper away from him.

_'This is Tom Riddle all over again!' _he thought. He stood on his bed and aimed his wand at the parchment, with intent of setting it ablaze. And he couldn't do it. Something in his mind told him that it was safe and probably just a joke from Lupin as punishment for his being caught after hours. Besides, he trusted Lupin enough so he wouldn't knowingly give Harry a dark artifact.

"Lumos," Harry whispered softly. The tip of his wand glowed dimly, but he could make out the newly written words: _Nice to meet you, Harry James Potter. _

He came down from his bed to get a better look. More calligraphic writing was appearing below.

_I'm Jane Verena Silversmith, if we're using full names._

Harry's jaw dropped. A girl was writing back to him, but where was she? He picked up the parchment and sat back into bed, only to be startled by Ron's sudden snore in the bunk next to him. He found his quill back in his ink well and decided to write back to the mysterious character.

_Likewise, _he wrote. He found himself subtly embarrassed at his chicken scratch underneath the fading, swirling, even letters of Jane's._ Sorry for the messiness. I failed calligraphy my first year._

_It's fine,_ wrote Jane. _My handwriting developed over time. _

_Over time? Can I ask how old you are?_

_Sixteen. And you?_

Harry was still nervous. What would Hermione say about him communicating with someone who may not even exist? Or if she did exist, one of Voldemort's followers? He cringed. He could hear her now. "Harry James Potter! What on earth do you think your doing? You could get yourself killed, or even worse, break school rules!" she would say. Of course he'd probably give in and hand over the parchment muttering "Yes, Mum" under his breath. He grinned at that.

Jane's question was now fading away. He decided that he would lie just for the fun of it.

_Twenty-three._

_Ooh, an older man, _wrote Jane. _That's fascinating. How is it that you are too old to be a student, but too young to be a teacher, and you're in Hogwarts? _

Harry stared at the words, stunned. _How did you know I'm in Hogwarts? _He glanced over to his bedside table, only to remember that Lupin had taken the Marauder's map from him earlier that evening. _Do you have a Marauder's map?_

_No, but this particular piece of parchment was in the hands of Remus Lupin today. He told me personally that he was a professor at your school. So either he gave it to you, or you took it by force. Any way, you must be in or near Hogwarts, are you not?_

Harry hesitated to answer. _Yes._

_Oh, by the way, Harry Potter, _wrote Jane, _you know you're a world-famous wizard, right? It's not that easy to fake your age when you're a celebrity._

Harry grinned. This girl didn't feel evil or dark in any way. He could tell from her words that she was just a teenage girl, like Katie or Angelina. _So, you know me. What about you? Where exactly are you talking to me from?_

_From the parchment. Where did you think?_

_Wait, you mean you __inside__ the parchment?_

_Yes._

_Have you always been inside it?_

_No. _

_Care to stop giving me one-word answers? _

_Sorry. No, I was in a wizarding school just like you._

_You went to Hogwarts? _Harry wrote.

_No, I went to McQuinnlan's Magic Academy. That's in Ireland._

_I see. But how did you end up here?_

_I'm trapped here. _

Harry felt puzzlement and pity at the same time. Poor Jane. _How did it happen?_

_Have you heard of Ericle Wanderer?_

_No, sorry._

_He was a Death Eater. Or at least, he wanted to be._

_Is he the one that did this to you?_

_Yes._

_Do you know why?_

_Yes. He was trying to prove himself to... _Jane trailed off.

_To who?_

_To you-know-who._

_You mean Voldemort?_

Jane had paused. _I'd rather you not write his name._

_Sorry. Why did Wanderer have to prove himself?_

_He never went to school, so his magic skills were lacking, _wrote Jane. _But he wanted to be a Death Eater so badly. This is over 15 years ago, mind you._

_Yeah, I got that part, _wrote Harry. He already knew that it had to be years ago when the Death Eaters were formed and following Voldemort before he lost his powers.

_Anyways, he begged and begged you-know-who for entry, maybe to finally make something of his life. He had magical powers, so he couldn't live a Muggle life, but he was so terrible at it that he couldn't live a Wizarding life either. _

_So what happened?_

_Voldemort refused time and time again, then he lost his powers, you know. And even with Voldemort possibly dead and gone, Wanderer never lost faith. He contacted Lucias Malfoy to try to reform the Death Eaters to carry on Voldemort's bidding. Hold on, my ink's gone._

Harry waited a few minutes for her to return.

_Sorry about that. Alright, so Malfoy was being bothered by this guy constantly, so he made a wager with him- he couldn't kill one of Voldemort's followers, it's against the Code of the Death Eaters or their rules, whatever. So he purposed that if Wanderer proved himself to be a dark wizard, that Lucias would accept him and get the dark wizards back together._

_How did he have to prove himself?_

_Easy, by killing someone._

Harry froze. _Does that mean you're a ghost?_

_No, ghosts can't be trapped within objects, remember?_

_Right. I learned that in second year. So he didn't kill you?_

_No. He couldn't bring himself to do it. So he pulled out this piece of parchment and put an irreversible spell to put me into it and keep me there. _

_How long have you been trapped?_

_Three years._

_What happened to Wanderer?_

_He went back to Lucias, who knew he wouldn't be able to prove himself as faithful to you-know-who. And since he wasn't faithful-_

_He killed him? _Harry wrote.

_Yes. _

_Will you ever become untrapped? I mean, isn't there a way to get you out?_

_Lupin's working on that._

_Lupin?_

_He's been conversing with me ever since he obtained the parchment. It turned out that Lucias tried to dispose of it, and Lupin found it somehow. He's working to find a way to get me out and back home to my family. _

Harry didn't know that to write. He did notice that the sun was rising- he had stayed up all night talking to Jane, but it was Saturday, so it didn't matter if he slept or not. Looking at his watch, he saw the digital 6:00. Students were now free to roam the halls. Harry used his last bit of ink to reply back to Jane.

_Jane, maybe I can help. I think Lupin gave this to me on purpose, and there may be something he wants me to do to help you. I'll go to him now._

Jane didn't reply, she just drew a smiley face under Harry's words. At that, he slipped on his shoes and nearly ran to Lupin's office.


End file.
